莫高窟隋代第420窟西壁南北两侧上部绘维摩诘经变。南侧的文殊菩萨和北侧的维摩诘分别坐在歇山顶殿堂中央,殿堂下方各画一横向水池,池中不仅有莲花、水禽、化生,而且有游鱼、怪石、水草和水生物。这两幅“莲池图”不仅在隋代同类维摩诘经变中非常罕见,而且在敦煌石窟“莲池图”中也比较独特,其在南朝、中原风格的底色上还隐含着来自印度、西域乃至埃及的元素,不仅是该窟多元文化交流融合的见证,也是我国花鸟画史上莲池题材绘画的主要图例之一。

In Mogao Grottoes, there is an Illustrations of the Vimalakirti Sutra on the upper part of the north and south sides of the west wall of Cave 420 of the Sui Dynasty. Manjusri Bodhisattva on the south and Vimalakirti on the north are seated separately in the center of their own hall that has a gable-and-hip roof (xieshan ding), and down below each hall is a horizontally unfolded lotus pond tableau. In the ponds, there are not only lotus, waterfowl and children coming out of lotus flowers, but also fish, strange rocks, water plants and aquatic organisms. It's rare to see such “lotus pond tableau” in similar Illustrations of the Vimalakirti Sutra in the Sui Dynasty. Moreover, it's quite special when compared to other tableaux of lotus pond in the Dunhuang Grottoes. Apart from its style of the Southern Dynasty and the Central Plains, these two lotus pond tableaux also incorporate elements from India, the Western Regions and even Egypt. It bears witness to the exchange and integration among diversified cultures of Cave 420, and is also one of the main examples of developing paintings themed by lotus pond in the history of flower-and-bird paintings in China.